Paulette Goddard (June 3, 1910 – April 23, 1990) played “The Gamin” (Ellen Peterson), the spirited, street-smart orphan girl who becomes the Tramp's companion in Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936). This was one of her breakout roles and her first major credited performance. She and Chaplin (who were romantically involved at the time and later married) had great on-screen chemistry as two misfits navigating the hardships of the Great Depression, industrialization, and poverty with resilience and humor.
The Gamin is a free-spirited, rebellious young woman who steals food to survive, evades the authorities, and teams up with Chaplin’s Tramp. She’s optimistic and tough, a perfect foil for the Tramp. The film is Chaplin’s last mostly silent movie (with some sound effects and his famous gibberish song). It satirizes modern industrial society while blending slapstick, romance, and social commentary.
Iconic moments with Goddard include the department store roller-skating scene, scenes by the waterfront where she shares stolen bananas, and the hopeful ending where she and the Tramp walk off into the sunrise together.
Goddard’s performance was widely praised for bringing warmth, energy, and modernity to the role. Her natural look and bobbed hair even gave her a somewhat timeless appeal. Her work in Modern Times remains permanently etched in cinema history. She subsequently starred in Chaplin's first true sound picture, The Great Dictator (1940), before successfully establishing a highly prosperous, independent career in Hollywood.
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